Technical Information Sheet

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200
www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Introduction: Unprotected steel will corrode in contact with air (atmosphere), in water or earth. Therefore, a
number of techniques have been developed to protect steel parts from the effects of corrosion, thereby
precluding long-term damage.
ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) is a world-wide association with headquarters in Geneva,
Switzerland. The ISO mission is to prepare standards for materials, directives and processes. Test results
and empiric data are recorded and made available to users, viz. planners, designing engineers, instructors,
students, trades and technicians. All persons concerned shall take reference to applicable standards and
procedures and they shall become familiar with the basics of corrosion protection for steel structures and
steel objects through the application of surface treatment and coating systems.
The standard for corrosion protection DIN EN ISO 12944 was introduced in 1998 as a European and
International standard for the protection of steel surfaces, and this standard has become the basis for a
number of directives and specifications.

Steel is widely used and highly versatile material. It is priceworthy and available world-wide with a host of
design possibilities. However, steel also has its handicap: When steel is in contact with oxygen and humidity,
iron oxide will develop or more commonly rust. Aside from the poor appearance of unprotected steel
structures, this oxidation jeopardises these structures as the steel components will deteriorate by up to 200
m per year. Therefore and right from the planning stage, special care should be addressed when welding,
joining with other components to optimally design and position the various components. Extensive pretreatment of the steel components and appropriate coating systems will prevent corrosion damage, and long
useful service lives and high retention of the original value for many years are added rewards.

For the selection of the best suitable coating system, the following important issues should be clarified :

What is the physical location of the structure? In a rural area, within a city, in an industrial
environment, at the shoreline; is the structure fully or partially under water or is it in contact with the
ground?
What are normal / additional stress loads at/for the structure? Industrial gases, high humidity,
rain, salt, mechanical stress loads, long-term presence of condensated water, etc.
What is the planned service life for the structure? 5, 10, 15 or 25 years?
What shall be the designed appearance of the building? Shall the visual impression be secondary
or shall there be special colour effects?
Will the project include regular cleaning and maintenance work? Will road salt on bridges and
railing be cleared off at the end of the winter season?

Scope of application:
Type of structure:

Structures made from alloyed or low-alloyed steel, wall thickness 3 mm

and more, designed in compliance with a safety certification.

Type of surfaces to be coated Uncoated steel surfaces, hot sprayed zinc coating, hot-dip zinc coating
and surface treatment:
and galvanised zinc coating, other surface coatings.

Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

For professional users only!

Page 1 of 6

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200

Technical Information Sheet

www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Environmental conditions:

Six corrosivity categories (C1 C5 I/M) for atmospheric conditions.

Three categories for structures in water or ground.

Type of coating system:

Coating materials which dry/cure/harden in the surrounding atmosphere.

What is the desired coat thickness and which materials?

Type of measure:

Initial protection and/or repair

Service life of coating:

Three time periods for the expected endurance.

DIN EN ISO 12944 comprises eight parts which include the following parts:
DIN EN ISO 12944-1
General introduction

DIN EN ISO 12944-2

Environmental conditions

DIN EN ISO 12944-5

Coating systems and thickness

DIN EN ISO 12944-7

Monitoring
of coating work

DIN EN ISO 12944-3

Corrosion-relevant design
DIN EN ISO 12944-4
Surface preparation

DIN EN ISO 12944-8

Specification for
initial protection / repair

DIN EN ISO 12944-6

Suitability certificate
for coating systems

Anticipated duration of protection endurance for coating systems acc. to DIN EN ISO 12944-1 and -5
Duration of protection
Time frame

Years

Short L (Low)

25

Medium M

5 - 15

High

more than 15

Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

The indicated duration of the protection until the first repair

work depends on the corrosion stress or environmental
conditions, respectively, and on the selected type of coating.
The first partial repair phase for reasons of corrosion is due
when the coating system shows rust grade Ri 3 acc. to ISO
4628-3, unless contractual provision dictate specific time
periods. The duration of protection does not constitute a
warranty period. It is a technical recommendation to assist the
ordering party when defining periodic service and
maintenance.

For professional users only!

Page 2 of 6

Technical Information Sheet

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200
www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Classification of environmental conditions acc. to DIN EN ISO 12944-2

Climate
category

Application area
outdoors

indoors

C1
negligible

Recommended
total coating
thickness

Heated rooms, e.g. offices, shops,

schools, hotels

80m

Low pollution, mostly rural areas

Unheated buildings where

condensation may occur, e.g. storage
facilities, sports centres

120-160m

Urban and industrial areas,

moderate pollution, coastal
regions with low salt
concentration

High humidity rooms with some air

pollution, e.g. breweries, dairies, food
production facilities

160-200m

C4
severe

Industrial areas, coastal regions

with moderate salt concentration

Chemical plants, swimming pool, boat

houses above sea water

200-240m

C5 I
extreme
(industrial)

Industrial areas with high humidity

and aggressive atmospheres

Buildings and areas with ever present

condensation and heavy pollution

240-320m

C5 - M
extreme
(maritime)

Coastal and offshore regions with

high salt concentration

Buildings and areas with ever present

condensation and heavy pollution

240-320m

C2
low
C3
medium

This information does not consider stress categories in water and soil.
Im1 = Fresh water Im2 = Salt water or brackish water Im3 = Soil
(Steel decomposition unprotected 250-1000m/year)
Pre-treatment of surface:
Proper pre-treatment of surfaces is prerequisite for a durable coating system. The best coating system will
fail when it was applied to poorly cleaned and insufficiently treated surfaces.
For steel surfaces, we recommend blasting with a suitable blasting medium (minimum SA 2.5) for a
roughness of 25 50m. The primer coat should measure 80 160m. At higher roughness grades the
primer coat should be increased 3-fold. For further information please refer to the technical information
provided with the product or contact us via our service hotline.
Steel surfaces always show ferrous deposits, such as rust, rolling skin and mill scale, and non-ferrous
deposits such as oils, grease, salts, dust, condensation, etc., any of which reduce the desired bonding of a
coating system and support corrosion.
These deposits and impurities must be totally removed (refer to the table below).

Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

For professional users only!

Page 3 of 6

Technical Information Sheet

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200
www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Hot-dip galvanised steel surfaces do not show rolling skin and mill scale, however, zinc corrosion
products, zinc salts and remains of flux must be removed. Users must always be aware that there is a oily
layer on freshly zinc coated surfaces.
Surface pollutions and removal/cleaning methods acc. to DIN EN ISO 12944-4:
Pollution

Cleaning processes

Remarks

Water-soluble pollution,
salts, mineral matters

Cleaning with water or

steam jet

Clean water with or without cleaning agents,

afterwards rinsing with clean water

Oils, greases

Cleaning
solutions

with

alkaline Possible aggressive action at metallic coatings,

therefore rinsing with clean water.

Cleaning with solvents

Rolling
scale

skin

and

mill Pickling with acidic solution

Dry blasting
Wet blasting
Flame blasting

Cleaning and dry rubbing, using several pieces of

cloths.

Always followed by rinsing with clean water.

Use suitable blasting medium, remove any dust.
Always followed by rinsing with clean water.
Remove any residue.

Rust

Process as with rolling skin

and mill scale
Mechanical tools
Mechanical brushing or grinding
Selective/spot blasting
Local removal of rust
High-pressure water jet
Removal of loose rust

Existing coatings

Pickling

Alkaline or solvent-containing products, afterwards

rinsing with ample clean water
Use suitable blasting medium, remove any dust.

Dry blasting
High pressure water jet
Mechanical tools
Sweep blasting

Zinc corrosion products

Sweep blasting
Alkaline cleaning

Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

Pressure 100 . 250 bar, depending on coating.

Grinding roughing of bonded coating or removal
of coating.
Roughing of coating, remove any dust.

(smooth blasting) for zinc use corundum, silicates

must not destroy zinc coating.
Use alkaline cleaning agents, rinse with clean
water.

For professional users only!

Page 4 of 6

Technical Information Sheet

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200
www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Corrosion through coating systems:

Coating materials are applied in liquid form onto the steel surface/galvanised steel surface where they create
a homogenous, coherent lacquer coat. This is a film-forming process which is decisive for the overall quality
of the protective coating.
Film-forming can be the result of either physical drying or chemical drying/curing/hardening. This depends on
the type of binding agent / resin. Chemical curing/hardening is effected through a second component, and in
most cases, this medium is added in a precise proportion to the base material. The coating is dried in the
surrounding atmosphere, at 20C or by furnace drying in closed cabins at up to 80C or by means of IR
radiation.
Powder lacquers or baking enamels are normally baked at 80C to 250C. Not every paint shop or lacquering
service has the facilities for powder lacquers and the necessary processes.

Classical laquer structure:

1. Zinc dust epoxy primer is mostly used as the adhesion or basic layer, serving as a sound foundation
on the blasted steel surfaces. Other corrosion protecting pigments are zinc phosphate and zinc oxide.
2. An intermediate coating layer increases the anti-corrosion properties, it smoothes possible
unevenness, supports a uniform distribution and enhances the gloss of the top coat. If required, this
intermediate layer mostly made from epoxy-based primer (EP) can be ground to create a
smoother surface.
3. The top coat essentially produces the optical effects, such as colour hue and surface texture, i.e. high
gloss, matt, structured, effect lacquers, etc. By the same token, they shall be abrasion resistant, of
satisfying UV resistance and they shall prevent the effect from aggressive media in the atmosphere.

The term Duplex Systems hot-dip galvanising + coating:

A coating system is applied onto the hot-dip galvanised steel surface. This provides for substantially longer
protection (extension factor 1.5 to 2.5 x) than the sum of the protection times of zinc plating and coating
system.

Laboratory tests for the assessment of coating systems:

DIN EN ISO 12944-6 describes laboratory tests for assessment purposes. Using a salt spraying device,
ageing of the object is accelerated owing to the increased corrosion stress. These tests serve as reference
data for a safe forecast regarding the corrosion protection properties of a given surface coating system.

Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

For professional users only!

Page 5 of 6

Technical Information Sheet

EMEAI Valspar bv
Zuiveringweg 89
8243 PE Lelystad
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0) 320292200
www.valsparindustrialmix.com

TI G 9 / UK

General Information: ISO 12944

Execution and monitoring of coating work (DIN EN ISO 12944-7):

The following conditions must be met before a steel object will enjoy a long enduring corrosion protection:
Surface preparation in compliance with approved standards
Preparation and coating executed by professionals of the trade
Certified coating media suitable for the specific demands, proper storage and use of the coating
media
Coating application for the desired minimum dry coat thickness
The contracted party can best achieve these conditions by prior development of a quality management
scheme certified to DIN EN ISO 9000 which define and monitor the various processing and application
phases.
The contracted party shall perform all work details and ensure continuous own quality monitoring. If so
required, the producer of the coating media should be contacted for competent professional consulting on
specific jobs.

Preparing of specifications for initial protection systems and for regular maintenance:
The last part of DIN EN ISO 12944-8 holds: Procedures for the preparation of specifications for initial
protection and maintenance, details for coating system specifications, form sheets for final reports and test
reports.
For the initial corrosion protection of a structure, users should select a coating system ensuring long
protection endurance.
Planning for maintenance and for applicable repair is facilitated when users can refer to a professionally
prepared documentation or to records of previous maintenance or repair work.
Before preparing a specification, user should identify the situation and status as to the need for a complete
renewal or for spot or isolated corrective measures at the coating system.
An exact description of the expected performance for the desired coating system on steel surfaces should be
the basis for any contractual agreement between the ordering party and the executing contractor. The
specification shall describe the object in full detail and define the extent of the work details and of the coating
media to be used. The contractual agreement shall also include the issues of monitoring and control, quality
control and planned warranty times.

(Source: Bundesverband Korrosionsschutz e.V. und Verband der deutschen Lack- und Druckfarbenindustrie
e.V. ) [Federal Association for Corrosion Protection and Association of German Paint, Lacquer and Printing
Ink Industries]

Liability for contents:

Our information sheets were prepared with great care. Nevertheless, we can not assume any responsibility for the
accuracy, completeness and timeliness. Upon notification of errors or of any possible violations of legal issues, we shall
change the contents accordingly. Basically, working with machines, hand tools and chemical products can be very
dangerous. Therefore our examples and information are intended for professional customers only (experienced and
skilled craftsmen). Yet, we can not give assurance for the success, and we shall not accept any liability for any follow-on
damages, as either case depends on the skill of the user, the personal protective clothing, the materials used and the
processing conditions.
Date of issue: 6/2013 - Version: 1.0

For professional users only!

Page 6 of 6